


Life and Death

by PrinceHandsome



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-31
Updated: 2012-10-31
Packaged: 2017-11-29 09:11:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/685265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrinceHandsome/pseuds/PrinceHandsome
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Junior FBI Agent Jack Coleman is sent to investigate a person of interest running a local carnival, while a mysterious woman seems to be doing the same.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Life and Death

I tie my dress shoes slowly. I don't know why I'm stalling, but I do anyways. Part of me wants to just get up and run. But I can't. I have to face reality. I stand up and head into my kitchen from my bedroom, grabbing the piping hot cup of coffee I had prepared before getting dressed. It's still steaming, but I drink it anyways. The newspaper is also sitting on my table, but I already know what it says.

My name is John Goldman, and my wife was killed several days ago in an accident. A car crash. The man who we got into the accident with, one Jonathan Lyudoed of Lyudoed Pharmaceuticals, was very kind to me, and offered to pay for the funeral and help me in any way I needed.

As I take sips of my coffee I hear a light knock on my front door, so I go to answer it, sure that it's another well wisher. I open the door to see a rather tall man in a black suit who has my face, looking like it was crudely put on a mis-matched head, stretched and distorted, my hair also on top of his head. He smiles at me.

"Hello, Mister Goldman. I'd like to come in, please. I have an offer I think might interest you." He says to me, his voice also mimicking mine.

I look him over, the entire scene surreal, making my head spin. I shake my head a little.

"Who are you?" I ask.

"I am Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos, and I can bring your wife back, if you do as I say."

\--

"Tickets?" I ask, picking up one of the admission passes Fisk handed to us.

"Do we finally get a day off?" Kerr asks, looking the pass over.

My name is Jack Coleman, and my boss just gave me and my partner, Joseph Kerr, a couple of tickets to the local carnival. I figure Joseph might be right. After the absolute train wreck in D.C., the Burning, we've probably earned a vacation.

"It's not for fun, gentlemen. We have word that the man organizing the attractions, John Goldman, is in league with a person of interest, and that it may end badly for everyone involved." Fisk says, showing us a picture of the guy.

He has short hair, and glasses, looks to be in his mid-forties or so, if I had to take a wild stab at it. He has a smirk on his face that makes me want to punch him, and from the way Fisk is talking, it looks like I'll probably get my chance.

"Person of interest?" Kerr asks.

"I'm not naming names. We don't have anything concrete on him. This isn't official police business, but I want you to go and keep an eye on things, and report anything suspicious, alright?" He says to us.

"You got it, boss." I say.

Me and Kerr head out. He wants to stay and put off going to the carnival as long as possible, for some reason, but I'm able to convince him to drive me, even if he doesn't want to stay.

"What's your deal with carnivals, Coleman?" He asks, turning on the car and driving out of the Central parking lot.

"When I was a kid they'd never let me in, since I didn't have any money." I explain, holding my ticket tightly.

"What a tragedy. You can hang around as much as you want. Just call me when you're done. I'll be doing paperwork." He says, being a real grump about it.

"What's your problem with carnivals?" I ask, looking over at him.

"I don't like the shitty rides, or the shitty food, or the shitty clowns. Keep me out of it." He says, slamming on the breaks when we get there, nearly sending my face into the dashboard.

I shrug, not pushing the issue further. I've never known Kerr to have an issue with any of these things, but maybe carnivals are some kind of hell-world not even Joseph Kerr can withstand.

\--

Goldman.

What a pathetic specimen.

Always whining and sniveling about his dead love. I'm really doing him a favor, if you think about it. Still, perhaps he'll be able to do some good. As long as he kills the boy, everything will go according to plan.

Now, before I get too distracted, I have a film to prepare.

\--

"This is awesome!" I shout, going downhill rapidly in the front roller coaster car.

I've been here for hours, but it only seems like it's been minutes. So far I've ridden almost every single ride twice, stuffed myself full of cheap carnival food, threw it all up, and ate some more. This place is everything I always dreamed of, and more.

There's even some show later on, the marvelous somebody or something. It sounds pretty great, really. I haven't been to a movie in forever.

\--

A carnival. How it reminds me of the purging rooms in Rome. I see little fun to be had here. Rides that simulate death, food that is no doubt toxic and full of fat. It's a wonder anyone here has the mobility to move about. Still, I'm here for a divine purpose, and as such, I can hold back my disgust for these heathens. Rigby, one of Regina's newest pets, has set up a tent with the intention of screening some manner of film. He insists it is innocent in nature, but I can sense his lies.

Clarence Rigby is up to something. Of this much, I am certain.

\--

"Shit! Sorry!" I say quickly, bumping into some lady who looks like she's miles away.

She has pale skin, and orange hair tied up in a crazy ornate looking bun on the back of her head, which has a couple of gold hair pins holding it together. She has on a gold dress shirt and red pants, a crazy long duffel bag on her back. She looks pretty silly. She has a pin on her shirt that I swear I've seen before, but her annoyed look deters me from looking at her chest very much.

"Watch where you're going." She says to me.

"Right, sorry, I was just excited. Never been to a carnival before, y'know?" I say, chuckling a little.

"Nor have I. Quite frankly, I do not see the appeal." She says, looking around.

"Have you been on the rides much?" I ask, taking a bite of my corndog.

"Er, no, I'm not here for-" She starts to say.

"You should come with me! They're an absolute blast! You've gotta at least go through the Haunted House ride!" I say, grinning at her.

She simply raises an eyebrow at me, looking me over. She's way taller than me, and looks a bit older. I'd say mid twenties, maybe. She's actually kind of pretty, in a weird way.

"You're Jack Coleman, aren't you?" She asks.

I'm a little startled. Most people around these parts don't actually know my name.

"Uh, yeah. Do I know you from somewhere?" I ask, taking a sip of my lemonade and throwing the wooden stick of the corndog away in a nearby trash can.

"We met, briefly, in Washington D.C." She says.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I'm still in kind of a daze after what happened. Wait, what are you doing here, then?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"I live here. I was only visiting, before. On business, you might say." She says, looking up a bit, as if trying to remember something.

"Oh yeah? Bad timing, then. Unless you were one of the bad guys." I say, chuckling and nudging her a little.

"I assure you, I was not with the 'bad guys'." She says, staying completely serious.

I shift awkwardly. Either I'm not great at telling jokes, or this lady has no sense of humor.

"So, Haunted House?" I ask, grinning at her again.

She chews on the proposal for a minute before sighing.

"Fine. One ride." She concedes.

I grab her by the wrist, pulling her along with me.

"You won't regret it! I swear!" I say.

\--

"Will it hurt?" Rigby asks.

"Will what hurt?" I respond.

"Well, looking at the screen is supposed to, ah, rip their souls out, right? So, will it hurt?" He clarifies.

"Oh. No. Not at all, my friend." I say, lying to him.

\--

About two hours later, me and my new friend have gotten off our third ride of the roller coaster. She's laughing, but she covers it up, like she doesn't want to be seen having fun.

"It's fun, right?" I ask, laughing a little myself.

"I suppose there's some enjoyment in it." She says, grinning.

I hold her hand, my fingers entwining with hers. She blushes a little, but doesn't make a move to stop me.

"Hey, you never told me your name." I say, not sure of what to call her.

She checks her watch, suddenly becoming serious.

"There's a show I should get to." She says, sliding her hand away from mine, hurrying off.

I quickly follow her, turning a bit red in the face from her sudden departure, flustered.

"Uh, well, hey, we could go together! It's here in the carnival, right? Is it, uh..." I begin, trying to think of the show listings.

"It's a showcase from the 'Marvelous' Mr. Rigby." She says, still hurrying towards the show tent.

"Oh, I thought the Zimbabwe Songbirds were supposed to be on. Wait, Rigby? As in Clarence Rigby? Me and him go way back! It'll be great seeing him again." I say, my smile returning.

She spins around, almost making me crash into her again. She looks me up and down, as if seeing me in a new light.

"You know Rigby?" She asks, narrowing her eyes at me.

"Uh, yeah. Me and him go way back, like I said. He's a great guy." I say, remembering our good times in the past.

She grabs me by the jaw, her strength threatening to crush it. I look straight at her, my smile fading, some sweat beads forming on my brow.

"He is not a 'great guy'. You do not know Clarence Rigby like you think you do. I would advise you to stay away from him, and stay away from me, as well. You will be better for it." She warns before letting me go.

I rub my jaw.

"Rigby helped me when I was an orphan on the streets. He gave me food, water, shelter, the goddamn clothes that were on my back. I haven't forgotten what he did for me. By the way, I'm a cop, lady, so you'd best keep your hands to your-" I begin before she cuts me off.

"You are a faun in a forest full of hunters. You live because others allow you to do so. You are nothing, and never think you are more. You are insignificant, and your badge and your gun can do nothing to change that, little boy." She says angrily before storming off.

I stand my ground, rubbing my jaw, considering chasing after her. I'm confused, and hurt. I thought she was pretty cute, and cool, until she freaked the fuck out on me. She must have some kind of sore spot with Rigby or something. I look up at the sky. Funny, my watch only says it's two in the afternoon, but the sky is pitch black.

\--

I hold my head, giving a sigh. Not yet. I flip on the film projector, sending the unwitting audience to their doom. I don't want to do this, but I have to.

My name is Clarence Rigby, and this is my purpose in life, now.

\--

I decide to wait around the back of Rigby's tent to ask him about things. After about an hour more he comes walking out, not looking where he's going, running right into me. His top hat tumbles into the grass, and I notice he's wearing that same weird mask he always used to wear when I knew him.

"Rigby! Hey! It's me! Jack, remember?" I ask him, patting him on the shoulder.

He holds his head, not looking at me.

"This is a really bad time, Jack. You should get out of here." He says in that charming Irish accent of his.

"Are you alright?" I ask, trying to get a good look at him.

Someone grabs me by the shoulder.

"Listen, I'm trying to talk to my-" I begin, before seeing the look in their eyes.

It's still human, I think. A girl with blonde hair. Her skin is deathly pale, though, and her eyes are pure white. She simply opens her mouth, inhaling sharply at me, almost gasping as some sort of attack. I respond by elbowing her in the nose with my left arm and following up with an uppercut from my right, sending her on her back. I'd stick around to finish her off, but I see a lot of people who look an awful lot like her shambling in my direction, so I decide to split. I turn to grab Rigby and take him with me, but he's already gone, along with his hat. I figure he must have seen what was going on and decided to get out while he could. I see the main tent in the distance, an unearthly glow emanating from it. I guess I've been slacking off today. I pull my glock, making sure I have a full mag.

It's time to get to work.

\--

I look over the glass box. It's crude, and mechanical, but it'll do its job, I suppose.

It's made by Legion Industries, given to me courtesy of a man I used to know a long, long time ago.

He's still doing well, it seems.

The ghosts of my victims writhe and scream from within, torn from their bodies by my film. Music to my ears.

If it can hold human souls, I wonder what else you can trap inside?

\--

I hide behind a pillar of wood, unzipping my bag and retrieving my spear.

"Why isn't he dead? You said they would all be taken. The girl, too. She's trouble. They'll wreck this entire thing, and neither of us want that, do we?" The Demon says, taking the face of the ringmaster, obvious anger in his voice.

"I-I'm sorry! I don't know what's wrong! There's something protecting them. The husks should get them, though, don't worry." The ringmaster says, beginning to sweat already.

"They'd better." The Demon says simply, tracing his finger along the glass of the case.

"Then, when they're dead, you'll give me my wife back, right? We'll be okay?" The Ringmaster asks, clearly desperate.

"I'm sure you two will be reunited." The Demon says, simply smiling down at him.

I reveal myself to them, holding out my spear, ready to impale either of them.

"Who are you!?" The Ringmaster asks, shocked.

"I am Sancti Puella, and I am here to punish both of you for this abomination." I say, motioning to the glowing glass tank in the middle of the tent, muffled screams and requests for release coming from within.

I notice the Demon holding his face, the stolen facial features fading and shifting in exchange for a blank slate. He is an abomination, this much is true, and as such, my spear will be his end.

"Hold on, hold on, just stop for a second. Listen to me. I-I just want to bring her back. He told me this was the way. It's the only way. Do you understand?" The man in glasses pleads with me, distraught.

I glance to where the Demon was. He is gone, likely fleeing from my divine power. No matter. I can wait.

"I do not care for your motives, so keep them to yourself. You have made a deal with the Devil, and as such, you must be punished." I say, thrusting my spear into his chest.

\--

"Jesus..." I say, looking up at the sky.

Stars and galaxies fill the horizon and the black sky as I make my way to the middle tent. This isn't good. This is the opposite of good. This is totally and completely fucked. I barrel through any zombie things in the way. I don't know what's going on with, well, anything, but I know that Goldman is probably behind it. Even if he isn't, I'm sure whatever's glowing here is behind it. Finally, I burst into the tent, nearly falling over, expecting there to be some kind of blockade or something, but instead I see Goldman laying in front of a weird glass tank in a pool of his own blood, barely breathing.

"Some villain he turned out to be!" I shout to him.

"Am I the villain?" He chokes out.

"Sucking out people's souls? Not very heroic." I retort.

"If you knew what I was doing here, you'd understand." He says, beginning to close his eyes.

I rush to his side, keeping my Glock at the ready, in case it's some kind of trap.

"What happened here? What's going on?" I ask him, shaking him a little to keep him awake.

"I took their souls with the help of...of the Crawling Chaos. He said it would bring her back, but he was lying. He's always lying. He was just doing it to kill a boy named Jack Coleman..." He says, coughing up some blood.

I furrow my brow, my heart rate picking up, aching a bit, threatening to launch itself into another arrest.

"I'm Jack Coleman." I say to him, the words almost catching in my throat.

"Then I guess you've made an enemy of a god." He says, smiling a little, his eyelids fluttering closed.

I start to shake him to wake him back up, but a burning pain hits my chest. It feels as painful as the first time. I desperately grasp at my chest, gasping for air, falling over. Dark tendrils encroach from the edges of my eyesight, clouding my vision.

\--

"I'll do it myself." The Demon says, taking on the face of Coleman.

He approaches the boy, his arms becoming dark tendrils.

"Demon!" I shout, jumping from my hiding spot, cutting off one of the tentacles and slashing him across the face with my spear.

He recoils, holding his face, clearly shocked, and angry. His visage shifts and changes to my own. He smiles at me a bit, clearly barely containing his rage.

"Sancti, I don't think your Queen would approve of you hurting me like this. Step aside, and let me finish him off." He says, still holding his face, clearly in pain.

"No. You and I are both aware of Regina's plans for this boy. You and I are also aware of how little influence you actually wield with her. Begone, and trouble this boy no more with your schemes, Demon." I command.

He bares his fangs at me, slowly backing away into the shadows.

"This isn't over, Sancti Puella. You two will both die, soon enough. Just wait. I'll make sure it's painful." He growls before disappearing.

\--

I suck in harsh lungfuls of air, my eyes shooting open. The pain in my chest slowly recedes, allowing me to stand. I check Goldman. Dead. I don't know what was hurting me so badly, but whatever it is, it's gone now. I look around, trying to ignore the screams coming from inside the glass tank.

"I guess there's just one thing left to do." I say to nobody in particular.

I raise my firearm and begin to pull the trigger, riddling the cube full of ghosts with holes until it shatters, the spirits beginning to fly about the room.

\--

"Wait wait, go back to the part where everything is space." Joseph says, smirking.

"God damn it Kerr, will you let me tell the story?" I ask, snapping at him.

"You're full of shit, Coleman. You probably stuck Goldman yourself and came up with this shitty story as a cover." He says, getting aggressive.

"Quiet, both of you." Fisk says, quieting the both of us down.

We sit in silence for a minute, waiting for him to stay something. He thinks for a moment before sighing.

"Everyone who attended the Carnival is healthy and accounted for. They're a bit disoriented and say that they have no memory of the evening, so besides the death of Goldman, I'm counting this as a successful operation. I'll have people watch Rigby. If he does anything suspicious, I'll have him pulled off the streets and brought in for questioning. Is that alright with you, Jack?" He asks, looking at me.

It takes me awhile, but I finally nod, selling out Rigby. I don't want to, but it's for the best. After all, I'm sure he's not up to anything. He's too nice of a guy for that.

\--

"Tell her of what you've been up to, Demon." I say angrily.

I throw Rigby before Regina, his top hat falling off and rolling across the ground a bit. He grovels before her, the Witch simply raising an eyebrow at the scene. I am adorned in my golden ram armor once more, shedding my disguise from earlier in the day.

"I assure you, this is all a misunderstanding." He says, holding his hands up in surrender.

"What is the meaning of this, Sancti?" Regina asks me.

"Rigby here has been grooming apprentices to slay your boy, Coleman. I have seen it with my own eyes, Mother." I say, still eying Rigby with disgust.

"My Queen, I assure you, it's all a misunderstanding. I've been friends with Jack ever since he was a wee lad. I'd never harm a hair on his head." Rigby insists, still groveling.

"You lie!" I shout, preparing to behead him myself.

Regina simply holds up her hand, silencing the both of us.

"Enough! Sancti, leave Rigby alone. It is not your job to stalk and harass my enforcers. Rigby, if Coleman is to die under any mysterious or supernatural cause, I will assume you are the culprit. He lives. I expect the both of you to see to it personally. Be gone, my children. Your mother is very tired, and no longer has time for such petty squabbles." She says, waving us away, feigning exhaustion.

I open my mouth to protest but swiftly close it once more. There is no use debating it with her. In any case, I have bought Jack Coleman the time he needs to make his way to the inside of the Castle, to be safely within our borders. I still do not trust Rigby, but at least now Coleman has divine protection from two sources. I leave, going a separate way from Rigby, as to avoid contact with him. He oozes corruption, and his mask is unsettling, to say the least. There is something off about him, but I cannot place it.

Clarence Rigby is up to something. Of this much, I am certain.


End file.
